Lantronix Devices

Lantronix makes a family of embedded device servers that allow you to connect a microcontroller or other device with a serial port to the internet. The Cobox Micro, and Xport, and the upcoming Wiport all have similar capabilities and configuration interfaces. Following are my notes on using all of these. In many cases, the code examples are interchangeable, since these devices are basically serial-to-ethernet bridges.

These are more limited than the TINI or the Siteplayer in some ways, but they're useful as a network co-processor for a microprocessor, and they're relatively simple to set up. They simply open a TCP socket between the serial device they're connected to and a remote internet address, and let the two devices communicate through them.

The Cobox Micro is a good place to begin, because it's the simplest of the three to set up, and it operates on 5 volts DC, like many microcontrollers. The Xport is the smallest of the three, about the size of an ethernet jack. It operates on 3.3V, so it takes a little more circuitry to connect it to 5V devices. It's got some nice additional features, though. The Wiport is a wireless ethernet version of the Xport.